


A highwayman comes riding— riding—riding—

by teeandrainbows



Series: Troped! [23]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Western, Angst and Tragedy, F/M, Forehead Touches, Framing Story, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Inspired by The Highwayman - Alfred Noyes, Secret Relationship, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:01:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29192718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teeandrainbows/pseuds/teeandrainbows
Summary: While on a school trip to a museum set on the grounds of an old, historic ranch, Madi learns the true tragedy of Josie Lightbourne and her bandit lover Gabriel.
Relationships: Josephine Lightbourne/Gabriel Santiago | Xavier
Series: Troped! [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1547764
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8
Collections: TROPED Choice: Western





	A highwayman comes riding— riding—riding—

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Troped Choice: Western! This is an ambiguously western retelling of the poem _The Highwayman_ by Alfred Noyes feat. Josie and Gabriel!
> 
> 3rd place tie for theme, 3rd place for most creative
> 
> Theme: Western Tragedy  
> Tropes:  
> 1\. Forehead Touches  
> 2\. Secret Relationship  
> 3\. Duel to the Death (Western Trope)  
> 4\. Based on a ~~song~~ poem
> 
> Mind the tags, please. The suicide and major character death are not shown explicitly, but both are implied.

_He taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred._

_He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there_

"The Highwayman" - Alfred Noyes

_\----------------------------------------------------------_

Madi tugged on her teacher’s arm, pointing to a portrait on the wall. “Who’s that?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Harper, known as Miss McIntyre to the children, had brought her seventh-grade students to a museum set up on an old ranch outside of Sanctum, and so far, it had been a raging success. The students had adored their wagon ride and had fawned over the remaining petting zoo, and now they were inside, looking at the old artifacts and portraits from the time that the Lightbourne ranch had been a wildly successful business. The teacher was pleasantly surprised, given that the students tended to dislike history.

She leaned in, over Madi’s head, peering at the small plaque under the portrait. “That’s Josephine Lightbourne,” she read, pressing her lips together. “If I remember correctly, she was the landlord’s daughter.”

Madi nodded slowly, peering at the portrait. “She’s pretty,” she said.

Harper nodded, smiling. “She is.”

One of the museum attendants wandered over to them. “Do you know the story of Miss Josie?” she asked, twirling a piece of hair around her finger.

Madi shook her head. “Nope.”

“Well, it’s a fascinating one,” the attendant said, glancing up at Harper. “We have a room over there if you and the rest of the students want me to tell the story.”

Madi’s eyes went wide, and Harper laughed, collecting the rest of the class. They moved into the breakout room, settling on the benches, and the attendant stood at the front of the room.

“It was many years ago, back when the Lightbourne Ranch was at its prime,” she started, setting the scene for the story…

\----------------------------------------------------------

The landlord’s daughter, Josie, had been the apple of his eye, and rue on anyone who crossed her, for fear her father would discover the offense. Almost everyone who met Josie would comment on her beauty, with her long blonde hair and her striking eyes. Later, after meeting her, they would comment on her wit and sharp tongue. She always seemed to know more than any self-respecting girl of eighteen would know, and that only made her more desirable to the men of Sanctum.

The only problem was that Josie Lightbourne had eyes only for one man. This man was hardly the type that her father would approve of, though. Her father wanted her to marry a wealthy businessman, one who would support the Lightbourne Ranch and hopefully rein in the vivacious beauty. The man Josie had eyes for, however, was a scoundrel, hardly worthy of society’s respect. He was a lonely rider on the highway, a highwayman, roaming from town to town, looking for work, wearing an old cowboy hat on his head and slacks. His coat was worn, his boots to midthigh, and his horse was old, yet reliable. His revolver hung from his belt, and he travelled the roads, always seeming to return to the outskirts of Sanctum.

In the dead of night, when the moon was high in the sky and the stars shone like diamonds, Josie would sit at her window, braiding her hair, waiting for her highwayman to arrive. They had to meet in the dead of night, where no one could see them, for fear of her father’s retribution. Josie hated it, but she would do anything to be with her beloved. He would whistle and tap on the shutters with his whip, and the beauty would pull them open and lean out the window, pressing a kiss to his lips.

“Gabriel,” she murmured on one such night, cupping his face with her hands, “you’re late.”

“I’m sorry, my dear,” Gabriel replied, smiling up at her. “The road was long, and there was a blockade. We might be separated longer, next time.”

Josie pouted, running her fingers through his hair through the window. “That isn’t fair,” she said, glancing up at a sound in the darkness. When she was confident it was nothing, she looked back at her beloved. “I wish we didn’t have to hide like this.”

“You know your father would never approve of me,” Gabriel said, letting his fingers trail down her arms. She shivered, her lips parting slightly.

“Still, though,” Josie replied, leaning in for another kiss. To her dismay, he pulled away.

“One kiss, sweetheart. I’m after a prize tonight.”

Josie’s eyes narrowed as she played with a loose lock of hair hanging in front of her ear. “Meaning?”

“I’ve found work,” Gabriel said, evasively.

“Doing what?”

“All you need to know is that I’ll be back tomorrow with a sack of coins,” he said, putting his hand on her cheek gently. “We can steal away, then. We’ll have money and we can go west, settle wherever we want. Think about it, sweetheart.”

Josie was thinking about it. Her lips turned upwards and she put her hand over his on her cheek.

“Look for me by moonlight,” Gabriel promised, pressing his forehead against hers. “Nothing will stop me from returning to you.”

Josie reached to the side, picking up a piece of scrap fabric from the dress she had made that day. She had soaked it with her perfume, and now handed it to Gabriel.

“Promise you’ll return?” she asked.

He took the square of fabric, breathing in the scent before slipping it in his pocket. “Promise.” He turned his horse around, riding off into the darkness.

Josie went to sleep, then, with dreams of running away with her Gabriel. When she woke in the morning, she went about her business. She went for a ride on her favourite horse, she helped her mother prepare meals for the men returning from the cattle drive, and she greeted her father with a kiss when he arrived home. When the sun began to set, however, and she had retreated to her room to wait for Gabriel, everything changed.

There was a knock at her door, and Josie frowned, confused. No one ever disturbed her when she had retired for the evening. She had half a mind to ignore it, but the men on the other side of the door had other ideas. They burst in, breaking the door down, and grabbed Josie, much to her dismay. She kicked and screamed, but the men easily overpowered her, and two final figures walked through the door.

“Sheriff Cadogan,” Josie breathed, before realizing who the other was. “Papa?”

They didn’t respond to her. Instead, the sheriff nodded at the men and one tied a gag around her mouth. She tried to scream but couldn’t around the wad of fabric. Next, they tied her up by her bed, sniggering the entire time. When they were finished, the sheriff dismissed the men with another nod and followed behind them, leaving Josie alone with her father.

“Daniel was by late last night,” Russell Lightbourne said, tapping his fingers on one of the bed posts, “checking on the pregnant mare. As he left, he saw something interesting. Do you know what he saw?”

Josie shook her head, a feeling of dread filling her.

“He saw a rider on a horse by your window,” her father continued, looking her straight in the eye. “He saw the rider kiss you. Now, imagine my surprise when he described the man to the sheriff and I, only for the sheriff to realize that the man who was kissing you was involved in a bank robbery only four nights ago, in Bardo.”

He began to pace the room, his arms folded in front of him. “The bank in Sanctum was robbed last night, my dear. The sheriff saw the opportunity, so we’re taking it now. Daniel said your rider is to return tonight? Well, Josephine. Keep good watch.”

With that, her father left the room, leaving Josie alone with her thoughts. She twisted in her bonds, but the knots held fast. The sheriff’s men were good, she thought. Still, Josie kept trying to break free, until her wrists were slick, whether with blood or sweat, she did not know. All she could think about was how Gabriel had no idea what was waiting for him. Through the open window, she could hear cows lowing, and could see the moon rising high in the air.

He was coming. Gabriel had said to look for him by the moonlight, and it was nearly midnight. Josie couldn’t bear the thought of what might happen to him if he came to the ranch. Her father’s wrath could be unparalleled, and coupled with the sheriff’s determination, it would spell disaster for her rider.

If only she could warn him.

As she twisted in her bonds, her finger brushed against something. Something cold, something metal.

A musket.

The men must have left it with her. Josie fidgeted more, until her finger was resting on the trigger. In the distance, she could hear the familiar _tlot tlot_ that often signalled Gabriel’s arrival, and her panic grew. There was no possible means to warn him of what was inevitably waiting for him.

Except…

The metal trigger burned against her fingertip, and she closed her eyes. Anything for her beloved.

= = = = =

Gabriel carried his sack of gold triumphantly as he rode towards the Lightbourne Ranch. While bank robberies were not what he had originally planned in his life, they were serving him well. He finally had enough money to whisk his sweetheart away, away from her controlling father, away from the boring ranch life. Things were changing. Josie didn’t need to spend all of her life tethered to her father’s wishes. She could be her own person, and Gabriel would be the one to gift her that.

As he rode, the piercing sound of a gunshot filled the air. His horse shied, and Gabriel fought to get the animal under control. When it settled, he peered off into the distance. There were men running towards the Lightbourne manor, shouting, and his heart sank.

“Josie?” he murmured, feeling a light breeze brush against his cheek.

The manor was too busy, so he turned, riding away. He would check again in the morning.

When the sun had risen, Gabriel was sitting in a tavern when a group of cattle drivers came in and ordered beer. He could just overhear snippets of the conversation.

“Such a shame,” one of them said.

“She was such a beauty,” another added.

“They say they found her with a musket. Poor thing must have stolen it from Mr Lightbourne’s closet,” a third said.

“Excuse me,” Gabriel asked, approaching them, “What happened?”

“Why, Russell Lightbourne’s daughter,” one of the cattle drivers said, sniffling loudly. “She was found this morning, dead as a doorknob.”

Gabriel felt his blood go cold. He felt faint, reaching for the back of a chair.

“You alright, there?” one of the men asked.

“Just dandy,” Gabriel replied, backing away. He left the tavern, jumping on his horse and riding towards the ranch as if the devil itself was behind him. He rode straight up to the front of the manor, jumping off his horse and marching to the door. Before he could knock, it opened and out stepped Russell Lightbourne.

“You must be the man my daughter loved,” the man said, tilting his head to the side. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was slurring his words a touch.

Gabriel clenched his fists at his side, staring across at Russell.

“What happened?” he asked, swallowing a lump in his throat.

“We were trying to draw you out,” Russell said, shrugging. “Turns out we did better than we thought. Nothing quite like drawing out a bandit. It’ll be the hangman’s noose for you.”

Gabriel’s jaw clenched and he reached for the revolver at his hip.

“Ah, ah,” Russell tutted, stepping out onto the porch. “Let’s settle this like civilized gentlemen.” At the confused look on Gabriel’s face, the man elaborated. “A duel. To the death. You stole my daughter from me.”

Gabriel was a whirlwind of emotions, staring back across at the man. “Very well,” he said, lifting his chin to stare levelly back at him. “Name the time and place.”

“Why wait?” Russell asked, chuckling darkly. “Right here, right now, bandit.”

Gabriel agreed and they found a spot on the ranch grounds. Standing back-to-back, they marched the ten paces and turned, firing at each other with revolvers.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“I think that’s quite enough,” Harper said, rising to her feet. “This story is hardly appropriate for seventh-graders.”

The museum attendant shrugged. “I think it’s a wonderful story,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her.

“So, who won the duel?” Madi asked, leaning forward. To Harper’s dismay, most of her class seemed eager to know the answer. “Did Gabriel revenge Josie’s death?”

“Avenge,” the attendant corrected her, “and no, sadly. Gabriel was struck in the heart by Russell’s shot, and he died there on the ranch grounds, bleeding out right next to Josie’s window. The two lovers never saw each other again, and to this day, some people say Josie’s spirit still haunts the ranch, waiting for her highwayman to return to her.”

“I said that’s enough,” Harper repeated, turning to her class. “Come on, let’s go. We’re late for the video on the famous Lightbourne cattle drive.”

The kids moaned and groaned, but allowed Harper to usher them out of the breakout room. Back in the main part of the museum, Harper found someone who looked like a manager.

“Excuse me?” she asked.

The manager peered at her. “Did you just come out of the breakout room?” she asked, glancing around at the kids surrounding Harper.

“We did,” she replied, crossing her arms in front of her. “That attendant who was in there with us, though? I think she needs to be talked to about appropriate stories to share with children.”

“Which attendant was that?” the manager asked.

Harper blinked. She hadn’t gotten the woman’s name. Glancing behind her, she stammered a moment. “I, er…”

“I know I walked past the room earlier, and you were all in there, but there wasn’t an attendant with you. Now, we don’t normally let our guests just waltz into rooms like that, but since it was a slow day today, it’s fine,” the manager said, arching an eyebrow. “Now, if you’ll just follow me, I’ve been looking for your group to take you to the video room.”

As they followed the manager, Harper glanced back over her shoulder one more time. She saw the attendant who had told the story standing in front of the portrait of Josephine Lightbourne, and the woman turned and caught Harper’s eye. She smirked, twirling hair between her fingertips, but when two guests walked past, the attendant vanished into thin air.

Harper could have sworn she heard a faint _tlot tlot_ in the distance. She shook her head, and the sound vanished too, only to be replaced by a low whistle.

Strange, she thought. Very strange.


End file.
